


From The Inside

by deltorafray



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 13x23 Coda, Coda, Episode: s13e23 Let the Good Times Roll, Season/Series 13, Winchester beach party, coda fic, fixing the finale, season 13 finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 16:54:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14698410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deltorafray/pseuds/deltorafray
Summary: The Winchesters finally get to relax at the beach but not everything is as it seems





	From The Inside

“Harder, Dean,” Cas urged.

“Hang on-“ said Dean breathlessly, sweat dripping down the back of his neck.  “I’m almost-“

“Come on, Dean!” Cas grunted.  “Deeper!”

“Cas, I can’t, I’m gonna-“

“Give me that,” Sam muttered, snatching the giant beach umbrella out of their hands.  Dean and Cas have been struggling to get it to stand upright in the sand for the past fifteen minutes.  Sam heaved the multicoloured umbrella up by the handle and slammed it down on a random patch of sand, leaving it propped up with a slight tilt for that perfect provision of shade.

Sam threw a smug look at his brother and the angel as he unfurled a beach towel under the umbrella he just erected.

Dean huffed grumpily.  “We almost had it.”

“Sure, Dean.”

Mary walked over to them and set down her bag.  She was already in her one-piece swimsuit with a flower-print sarong tied around her waist.  “You got the umbrella set up already?  Well done, boys!”

“No, well done, _boy_.” Sam pointed at himself.  “Dean and Cas were useless.”

“Oh it’s ’boy’, alright,” Dean sneered.  “Since you’re being such a child.”

Mary and Cas exchanged an exasperated look over the bickering brothers.

“Dean,” Cas said placatingly.  “Why don’t you let me put sunscreen on your back?  You’re going to burn.”

Dean grumbled, but let Cas manhandle him into a sitting position with his back to him.  Dean had his shirt off already as soon as they arrived at the beach, excited to feel the sun on his skin.  Behind him, Cas popped open the lid of the sunscreen bottle and began rubbing the thick lotion onto Dean’s back.  Man, that felt really good.

Mary unpacked the tupperwares out of her bag.  “You boys want your sandwiches now or later?”

“Ooh now, please,” said Sam enthusiastically.  “I’m starving!”

Dean was hungry too, but for the moment he was lost in the feeling of Cas’s hands on him.  Cas leaned over him from behind to murmur in his ear, “Your freckles are getting more prominent already.  They’re beautiful.”  Cas pressed a few kisses on his bare shoulder.

Dean turned his head to grin at Cas.  “Well you know what they say.  Freckles are angel’s kisses.  If you like them so much, you should keep kissing me.”  Cas smiled and caught Dean's lips in a kiss. Dean hummed in satisfaction as they continued kissing over his shoulder.

An empty, wadded up sandwich wrapper hit the back of Dean’s head, breaking their kiss.  “Boo, no one wants that!” Sam jeered.

“Sam, don’t litter,” Mary admonished, not looking up from putting sunscreen on her arms.

“Yeah, Sam, don’t _litter_ ,” Dean shot back, emphasizing the last word by chucking the wrapper back at his brother.  Sam deftly caught it after it bounced off his chest and stuck his tongue out at Dean.

Cas rolled his eyes.  “Alright, Dean, you’re all set.”  He patted Dean’s sunscreen-sticky back.

“Awesome, thanks babe,” said Dean.  “You want a sandwich?”

“That’s okay.  I don’t need to eat.”

“Take one, Cas,” Mary offered.  “I made enough for everyone, including you and Jack.”

“Where _is_ Jack?” asked Sam between a mouthful of sandwich. 

“He’s down by the water.  He said he wanted to take a closer look.”  Mary smiled.  “He says it’s his first time at the beach.”

“I’ll go get him,” said Cas.  He squeezed Dean’s shoulder and kissed his cheek before getting up.

Dean watched Cas walk down to the shore to meet Jack as he opened up his sandwich.  It was odd seeing him out of the usual trench coat.  When they planned their little beach party, Dean had bought semi-matching tropical shirts for the four of them.  The one he got for Cas was light blue with a loose pattern of pink flamingoes on them.  He was also wearing birkenstocks and he looked like such a dad, especially with how he was standing close to Jack, talking seriously and occasionally pointing towards things out at sea as though teaching him about all the wonders of the world.  Dean couldn’t help but smile fondly at the sight.

Dean took a bite of his sandwich and moaned.  “Ma, these are so good!”

Mary laughed.  “I may not be very good at cooking.  But at least I’m okay at assembling sandwiches.”

“It’s true though, Mom.  These are amazing,” Sam agreed, already unwrapping his second sandwich.

Dean was halfway through his sandwich when there was a loud shout coming from the water. Dean looked up to see Jack and Cas running towards them, both of them laughing. 

“Castiel and I were trying to make a sandcastle and looking for shells to decorate it with,” Jack rambled breathlessly.  “We weren’t paying attention.  I guess we were too close to the water, because then a _huge_ wave came out of nowhere.  We got soaked!”  He showed off his and Cas’s wet clothes, grinning widely, as though it was the best thing that has ever happened to him.

Cas’s face was also alight with happiness, smiling affectionately at his adopted son.  Dean didn’t think he’d ever seen Cas this relaxed and joyful and he could feel his heart swell with contentment.  Sam and Mary were chatting somewhere behind him over some beers.  Jack was settling down on a beach towel, digging into the sandwich Mary offered him.  Cas sat down next to him and caught him staring.

“Dean, are you okay?” Cas asked, head tilted to one side.

“Yeah, Cas.  Everything is perfect.”

 

“Last one in the water’s a rugaru!”

“Dean, come back!”

Dean could hear Cas shouting from somewhere behind him but he was too giddy from the chase.  As soon as the water was deep enough, he dove in head first, duck-diving under a rolling wave, feeling the cool rush sweeping over his body.  He surfaced, standing in the waist-deep water, and turned to look back towards the shore, hair sopping wet, and grinning.

“Hey Cas! Did you see-“  Dean caught sight of Cas standing on the beach right at the waterline but …  why was he wearing his usual trenchcoat get-up?  When did he change clothes?

The sun was a bright glare in Dean’s eyes.  He rubbed the salt water out of them and squinted towards Cas.  Why couldn’t he make out what Cas was wearing?  It was so bright.  No, there it is, the flamingoes-

“Dean!”

Dean’s breath was punched out of him when a giant wave crashed into him from behind with the force of a Mack truck, sending him tumbling head over ass in the roiling water. 

“Dean, come back!”

Dean could hear Cas yelling his name, his voice strangely amplified and echoing in the water.  His legs were flailing, trying to get his footing in the constantly moving sand.  He couldn’t tell which way was up.  His lungs were screaming.

“Come back to me, Dean!”

 _Yeah I’m trying, Cas_ , Dean thought somewhat irritably. His head broke the surface with a gasp.  He treaded water for a few moments, trying to find his way back, before another wave crashed over him and pushed him under.  The pull of the riptide was unrelenting, like a giant sea-monster was dragging him into the deep.  How far had he gone under?  It was getting so dark.

No, something _was_ in the water with him.  It was grabbing at him, pulling, drowning him.  The salt water stung his eyes as he tried to look at his surroundings.  It was so dark.  He wasn’t just underwater, he was underground.  No windows.  He was in a dungeon impaled with spikes.  _Torture_ , Dean recoiled, and in a panic he kicked harder, fighting against the pull of the water and the monster retreated.

Somehow, the thrashing waves had pushed him closer to shore and he managed to get on all fours in the shallows, coughing and sputtering the salt water out of his throat. He looked up to see Cas crouching over him, smiling beautifully down at him with an affectionate twinkle in his bright blue eyes. 

“You shouldn’t go so far out,” Cas chided, but he had a fond look on his face.  The sun was back, the beach was bright and golden and warm.

“Hey,” Dean croaked weakly, squinting up at Cas, haloed by the blinding glare of the sun.  “You’re wearing the flamingo shirt I got you.”

Cas looked amused as he glanced down at himself.  “Yes, I am.  Thanks for the suit.”

Dean froze.  “What did you say?”

Cas’s eyes were bluer than usual when looked back at Dean.  “I said … thanks for the suit.”  He said that last part in a different voice.  Colder, more sinister.  And suddenly it was like the lights were dimmed, but somehow everything grew clearer. The warm, golden haze was gone.

“No, we had a deal,” said Dean in realization.

A rushing sound then a massive wave engulfed them both. 

“Cas?!” Dean yelled, but he didn’t fight the pull anymore.  He wasn’t calling out for the Cas that had stood on the shore.  He could feel _his_ Cas in the urgency of the riptide pulling him out to sea.

 

_Cas grabbed Dean by the shoulders and pulled him into a hug before he could say ‘yes’._

_“Dean, please, don’t do this,” Cas pleaded into Dean’s neck.  “We’ll find another way.  We’ll do this together.”_

_“Cas, it’s okay,” Dean said soothingly, rubbing his hand up and down Cas’s back.  “This isn’t goodbye, I promise.”_

_Dean pulled away to look at Cas in the eyes.  The angel looked heartbroken.  Dean cupped Cas’s face with both hands, resting their foreheads together, and lowered his voice, “Listen, Cas.  If anything happens, you have my permission too.”_

_“What?” whispered Cas._

_“I’m saying ‘yes’ to you too.  Anytime, anywhere.”  Dean kissed Cas softly on the lips, chaste and sweet.  “If anything happens, come get me out, angel.”_

_Before Cas could say anything more, Dean turned to address Michael and said ‘yes’._

Getting control of his body back from an archangel was like digging his way out of a lucid dream, but a thousand times harder.  The world returned to him heavily and he gasped his way into consciousness.  He was strapped to a sturdy wooden chair in the bunker’s dungeon, metal cuffs at his wrists, ankles and neck.  In horror, he realized there were long spikes sticking out of his head.

“Dean, is that you?”

Sam.  There was his brother standing in front of him, holding what looked like a golden egg with runes carved on it.  On his right, Jack had one arm outstretched, palm out towards him, the yellow glow in his eyes just starting to fade.  On his other side was Rowena, staring at him concernedly while holding a book open that looked much too thick and heavy for her small frame.  Dean felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Cas standing over him, his blue eyes searching into his soul.

Cas smiled at him.  “Welcome back, Dean.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah so, sorry about that. I was planning to write a real beach party when I saw the promo, but then the finale happened and I was having so much trouble writing happy, funny shit so I did this instead lol.
> 
> I don't know. I just sort of blatantly made up that last bit. Don't ask me how they managed to capture Michael. But I figured a combination of that hyperbolic pulse generator egg thing, Jack's powers (also, don't ask me how he got them back, my fic, my rules), Rowena's magic, and Cas possessing him helped Dean expel Michael out.
> 
> Also, if you're a Misha fan, you know EXACTLY what flamingo shirt I'm talking about XD


End file.
